We bought nearly $3,800 worth of kitchen appliances this weekend. But if you know anything about us, you know we love a deal. So here’s how we managed to shave off about $1,400 from that total (we ended up paying 63% of their original cost). Yee haw!

Before I dive into the heavy math, let’s cover some basic questions first. Why new appliances? We’ll make this one multiple choice:

B: The wall oven has a big burn mark up the front of it and cooks/burns things unevenly.

C: Our refrigerator is slowly dying (the ice maker doesn’t work and ever since Hurricane Irene it has been cooling unevenly – icy milk anyone?).

D: All of the above.

If you answered D, you’ve either been paying close attention or just know that “All of the above” is usually a solid answer. We knew about these “issues” when we bought the house (except C) so we went into this house purchase knowing we’d need to replace our appliances during a future kitchen makeover. So we’ve been saving our pennies for the last 10 months (many folks wondered why we didn’t just dive into a kitchen makeover as soon as we moved, but we like to really think about how we’ll use a room – and we also gotta save up before big purchases like these). Even before landing on our peninsula plan a few weeks ago, we’ve been researching replacements and waiting for the best deal and the right appliances for us. So for the past few months we’ve been:

keeping an eye on craigslist for discounted applainces that might work

hitting up secondhand stores & thrift stores (like the ReStore)

visiting our local Sears “Scratch & Dent” store

Sadly, none of those “discount” routes were panning out (nothing on craigslist had the right dimensions or matched, secondhand stores weren’t selling much more than a few old black or white microwaves and dishwashers, and even the scratch & dent store was selling things at pretty comparable prices to new appliances from Lowe’s or Home Depot since most things are on sale around this time of the year whether they’re scratched or dented or not). Then we got a sign from the Lowe’s website that this was the weekend to pounce:

Well, actually a few signs. Lowe’s is our favorite spot to buy appliances since their prices tend to be the lowest we’ve found and they’ll price match. It’s actually where we bought all of the appliances for our first house which we used and loved for the entire 4.5 years that we lived there. So seeing their website loaded with discounts was enough to get our butts in gear and make some decisions.

One easy decision was the brand of appliance that we preferred. We lived very happily with a kitchen full of Frigidaires in our last house, so 4.5 satisfied years made us more comfortable with that company than any review could (in almost 5 years of use none of them ever needed to be serviced and still looked mint when we moved). Plus, we wanted to buy all the same brand so the stainless color was consistent from appliance to appliance (some stainless fronts are more brushed than others and can look kind of cobbled together if they’re not consistent). In an icing-on-the-cake scenario, we actually ended up getting Frigidaire Gallery models that have a protective coating atop the stainless steel to prevent fingerprints (something we really wanted since we were always wiping down our last ones). So go ahead Clara, do your worst. But before we learned about the fingerprint-proof stainless covering, first it came down to picking out the most functional, fitting, and affordable models for our kitchen. Here’s what we ended up with:

A 22.6 Cu. Ft. Energy Star Counter-Depth Side-by-Side Refrigerator: We learned that our current fridge is actually counter depth, so we definitely couldn’t get a standard depth, which would jut even further into the room. This new one is actually more spacious than our current one and the one at our last house (so we’re psyched to gain more space without giving up the counter-depth dream), but that’s a story for another day. More on that soon.

AnElectric Convection Stove (with Quick-Boil feature): We currently have a convection wall oven and countertop range… but those are extremely expensive to replace, so we’re going to convert our kitchen to a standard stove situation. Again, that’s a story for another day (soon!). Oh but the added convection and quick-boil features are something we happily would have paid an extra $100-200 for on top of a basic range price, but thanks to sale prices it was just $10 more than a similar model without those features.

A Microwave: Nothing interesting to say about this one other than it’s very similar to the last one we had and loved.

An Energy Star Dishwasher: Yay. Our first house didn’t have a dishwasher until we added one and it changed our life. And we love that it’s Energy Star like the fridge.

Even after almost a year of saving for this investment, the prices above are more than a little scary to two cheapskates like us. Thankfully each appliance was already marked down in the store (maybe October is a good markdown month?). The greatest markdown was the fridge (down $500!). The salesman said the price flip flops between $1799 and $1299 and we just caught it at the right time. On top of that, we also caught this at the right time:

The fridge and dishwasher were both Energy Star so that knocked those prices down another 15% (sadly cooking appliances like stoves & microwaves typically aren’t Energy Star rated). Happily the stove got the 10% off treatment thanks to the advertised sale that we happened to spot on their website. But the microwave, who was already on sale for $269, didn’t qualify (poor guy – things had to be $397 or more).

But all four of them earned this next discount:

We’ve had a Lowe’s card for a while (back from an appliance purchase in our last house, actually) so we scored our usual 5% off on our total purchase price. Down came those already discounted prices (we love that they allowed them to “stack”).

Then on top of that…

…Virginia was having a tax-free weekend on Energy Star appliances, effectively taking another 5% off the fridge and dishwasher (since tax here is 5%)! So that’s how our grand total ended up being about 63% of what it would’ve cost originally. A total savings of $1,392. Which essentially means we got the stove and the microwave for free (their original prices add up to $1,248 before all the discounts). The best part is that many of the counter depth fridges that we looked at were more than $2,500 on their own, so we’re stunned that we got all of our appliances for less. Take that baby to the market!

They still have to be delivered (for free, as always at Lowe’s) which is why this post has no pictures of the new items in place- but we’ll definitely share pics when they come. Oh and for anyone wondering, we’ll be donating our old appliances to the ReStore since they do free pick-ups (although we might craigslist the cooktop and microwave since they’re in newer condition). We’ve had a productive weekend in the kitchen, so there are a few other ideas/decisions/changes to share. So hopefully we’ll be back with lots of kitchen happenings over the next few days! We’re still only about 2% there, but the ball is officially rolling!

Okay, so who else saved some moolah this weekend? Er, well, spent some moolah but not as much moolah as they might’ve originally spent? Ack, you know what I mean. Oh and to any fellow Virginians, all of the sale prices that we took advantage of should be valid through the end of today (the tax free thing along with the 15 & 10% off sales and 5% off any Lowe’s card purchase). Just throwing that out there in case it helps!

Psst- Anyone replacing old appliances with Energy Star ones might also be eligible for government refunds (of over $100 if you’re replacing your dishwasher & fridge) so you can go here and click the button with the map on it to see what they’re giving back in your state.

I love that fridge. My mom is in love with one of those that has the freezer drawer on the bottom, but I don’t like it because it seems like just a “trunk” of food, with not much organization. This one has lots of space for a side by side and lots of movable shelves for organization. Also love the “pull out” shelf in the fridge and the wide door organizers.

I am suprised to hear that it actually is not that expensive to buy all new appliances! I have never even checked but for future reference…I wanted to let you know that I used one of your pictures today too. The white painted gourds…www.fortheloveofpainting.com

Also – I was sad to see you didn’t get the Change of Address package from your local U.S. Post Office. There is a 10% off coupon for Lowes in it. Maybe you have and have used it already? For those who don’t know about it, they offer a package with coupons for those who just moved. Lowes doesn’t check the validity of using the coupon, but just be ethical about it :)

Also for anyone else that doesn’t know about it (and lives in the Midwest, though the chain is slowly but surely spreading), you can use that package of coupons at Menards since we accept Lowe’s and Home Depot coupons.

We totally have that stove and microwave–we bought them last fall the weekend before Thanksgiving when they were heavily discounted–I LOVE THEM BOTH. The stovetop is nice, and the oven is great. The quick boil isn’t really that quick for things like a whole pot of water, but the stove gets REALLY WARM. Like things boil a lot warm. I hope you love them as much as we do. OH–and my favorite thing–Mrs. Meyer’s All Purpose cleaner and a paper towel (dish cloths leave it streaky) get that glass top looking better than anything else we have tried…including the nasty chemically glass top cleaner.

And you might check with your Power and Light company…my inlaws live in Indianapolis, and their power company took away their old fridge AND paid them 30 dollars for replacing it with a newer model. I had never heard of that before, but it’s worth looking into.

Thanks so much for the Mrs. Meyers tip (we love that stuff!) – and so glad to hear that you have & love the same microwave and stove! Yay. As for the power company tip- amazing! Off to check about that now!

My husband and I were just having an appliance debate this morning! We just sold our house (kindof, they’re going to rent and then buy it, but that’s a long story), and he wants to drag our old washer and dryer up from our basement and then store them for a year (we’re building, so we won’t be moving in anytime soon!). I keep telling him we could get better, newer appliances at a great price! I know I can convince him, eventually…
P.S. do you know how much I could sell 4 yr. old front loading washer and dryer on craigslist?? Just wondering if you knew off hand since it sounds like you troll around on there quite a bit!
Glad to see the kitchen renovation is gearing up!!!

We just bought our house last year and got a great black Friday deal on a LG washer and drier through Best Buy. Sears was also having a similar deal. I can’t remember specifically how much they were, but I want to say they were half of what we’d been seeing around. We also didn’t have to wait in line: they were a monster bargain, but people were more about getting the cheap deals than the ones that are “better” in terms of percentages.

Is that a glass cook top? If so do you have any tips on keeping it clean? We have a brand new one on our rental and it’s impossible to keep looking good. I know we’ll upgrade to hopefully gas in our future (dream) house.

Yes, it’s glass. I wish we had good tips for cleaning it. Ours looks filthy pretty much all the time. Every once in a while I go crazy and just scrub it with the rough part of the sponge and it mostly comes off. Anyone have better tips?

We purchased a bottle of cleaner from Home Depot specifically for our glass cook top. It’s in a white bottle and it works great! It almost looks like lotion when you squirt it on, then just rub down with a paper towel!

I read (I think in our manual) that the best thing to keep them looking good is to use one of those razorblade paint scrapers (like you’d use to get paint off a window) to get off encrusted food. That, plus elbow grease, baking powder and vinegar is what we use!

We have a glass cooktop – I use the white bottle cleaner, but I apply it with a nylon scrubpad. This seems to work much, much better than just a rag or paper towel, and then once I’ve scrubbed it up good, I wipe everything up with a paper towel till it’s all shiny. The nylon doesn’t scratch the glass, and I can see my reflection when I am done! Oh, and if the cooktop is really dirty, I’ll spread the cleaner all over and let it sit for a few minutes. Works like a charm every time!

Turn the stove back on….just warm enough to melt the plastic a little more, then use a dish scraper (one of the plastic ones with the “edge” that scrapes) The scraper won’t scratch the glass and it should get the melted plastic off if it’s warm enough….good luck! Hope that helps!!!

For my glass cook top, I use a product called “pierre blanche”. It’s a combination of soap, glycerin and clay. It’s ecofriendly and so efficient! I’m sure this kind of product exists in US. It’s perfect for granite countertops too.

Reenie, someone in our house (::cough cough:: my husband ::cough cough::) did the same thing! I did a bunch of googling and the trick was actually WD-40 (which I hate because of the fumes, but it WORKS!) and a razor blade scraper. Just keep spraying and scraping, spraying and scraping! good luck!

Oh man, I melted the plastic package of tortillas on a glass top once, too. I just used the cleaner (the white bottle glass top cleaner stuff), and just kept scrubbing with a scrubbie and wiping it. It eventually came off, with A LOT of elbow grease.

Reenie, I wonder if Goo Gone would work on your melted plastic. That’s what I always try first to clean up any sticky mess! (Sorry if this has already been mentioned — I haven’t read through all of the comments!)

We have a glass cooktop also and it is a real pain to keep clean. Just the other day I was searching the house for something new to try (after a pot of water boiled over…oops). I discovered an old box of steel wool pads. Worked like magic!! Took off all the burned crud and even removed some of the older spots that accumulate arounds the burners. Didn’t even have to use much elbow grease…I highly recommend steel wool pads! :)

I was just telling the husband it’s too bad we’re not ready to tackle our kitchen because of the tax-free weekend and appliance sales. There’s always next year.
We did buy a pair of solid mahogany mid-century modern nightstands this weekend off of Craigslist. We wanted something with drawers but with no shelves or anything near the bottom because of where our floor vents are. After stalking Craigslist for a few months, something finally came up.
I wouldn’t say they were a steal but they were definitely cheaper than two new nightstands not even completely made out of wood.

that’s awesome! i am also a lowe’s appliance shopper. here’s another handy thing to know:

when you buy multiple appliances, you can opt for an extended warranty on one or more appliances, and they will not attach them to a particular appliance. that means that if you buy three appliances, you can buy extended warranty for one or two, and that way whichever appliance needs servicing, they will apply the warranty to that appliance. we bought three appliances and two warranties and they will just get applied to whichever two have issues first. with fridge warranty protection, they will also give you a check for spoiled food if your fridge breaks.

Well done! Gotta love stacked discounts! Sept/Oct tends to be a good time to buy large appliances because it’s their end of model year, so you guys timed it perfectly-without even trying! Such pros. ;-) Can’t wait to see more of the kitchen progress.

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Hey, we're Sherry & John. This is where we chronicled 7 years of our lives as we fixed up 3 homes, had 2 children, became accidental authors and product designers, and shared our adventures (and misadventures) with the world. Now it's a time capsule of sorts, complete with nearly 3,000 posts, projects, and updates.